Yankee Homecoming is upon is. Newcomers from Plymouth to Rowley, Portsmouth to Amesbury, and Haverhill to West Newbury (thank goodness there are no towns east of Newburyport) have descended upon it bringing traffic and activities galore. While many may think of this as a nuisance, we at Newburyport Family Practice think of it as an opportunity. Below is a list of reasons why we think Yankee Homecoming is actually good for your health:

  1. Your front yard has to look immaculate for all of the visitors. This means plenty of outdoor exercise in the form of weeding, mulching, mowing, and painting.
  2. You stop even trying to drive a car and just walk the 3 miles to get some food from Eva’s or Market Basket.
  3. When you do decide to drive in to Yankee Homecoming, it’s by bike.
  4. Fireworks are great. Great opportunities to carry around your scared children or pets.
  5. Instead of fireworks, now it’s loud sirens from the parade. Do you even lift?
  6. You drink lots of water due to the sweltering summer heat.
  7. You find yourself running laps back and forth between activities and the Firehouse for bathroom breaks.
  8. The boardwalk really isn’t that long. So you have to walk it at least 10 times.
  9. You finally get some omega 3’s from fried fish, clam chowder, or a lobster roll. You know this isn’t great for you, but it’s got to be better than nothing – right?
  10. You actually go to the gym because it’s the only place not crowded.
    BONUS: If you attend any of the night life or concerts, you’ll be sure to dance your rings closed (get your exercise in).

What do you think? Have you found any other helpful ways to keep in shape around Yankee Homecoming this year? Let us know in the comments below.